Art of War

‘Art of War’ is more than a phrase, it’s a ephemeral idea that practically encapsulates everything . If you know what I mean. It is also a millennial bestseller from china ( there was a tag if any). Proof that its has spawned many adaptations - Art of War for dating, Art of War for small Businesses, Art of war for living the life you want to live and so on.

At its core the book is essentially about managing resources, adapting to a situation, making the most of your advantage (however meager they may be) , solving a situational problem, keeping your forces motivated etc., all of which are the empirical baseline business principles of modern management.

At the end of it, however ironic it may be, is that the actual science of war is actually avoiding it. To imagine that 1500 years ago , an army general could envision that “Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting," - Sun Tzu is simply wondrous

Book Review: IIMA Jamboree – A Bollywood Ode to Entrepreneurship

If you’re looking for a guide on how India’s top-tier business grads take on the entrepreneurial world, Rashmi Bansal’s book is the literary equivalent of a Bollywood Govinda move - cue the expressive, wide-eyed OUIMAA! The book delivers a high-energy, IIMA-centered celebration that leaves you thinking these grads are India’s answer to Hollywood’s swashbuckling heroes, each poised to save the day. Think Innovators by William Davis but remix it to feature an all-IIMA cast with entrepreneurial dreams and achievements firmly set in the Indian landscape.

Unlike Innovators, which gathers stories from a diverse array of American business icons, this book unapologetically sings the praises of the IIMA pedigree. Each protagonist here is an IIMA alum with a story to tell, from tech and education to finance and more. The author invites you on these journeys, narrating each story in an easygoing, almost breezy manner—though the tales sometimes wrap up quicker than a Bollywood song sequence.

Could it have been a serious compilation of case studies, a crash course for aspiring entrepreneurs? Maybe! But what you get instead is a collection of snack-sized stories designed to spark just a bit of entrepreneurial spirit - perfect if you’re just getting started or need a boost of inspiration.

The underlying message seems clear: IIMA grads are born leaders, a bit like Hollywood’s superhuman Presidents who fight off aliens and foil hijackers. The book leaves you with the impression that these Indian grads are the ones carrying the entrepreneurial torch across the country.

But not everything is Bollywood-smooth. Take Shantanu Prakash’s story—one of the book’s standout moments. He delivers a nugget of wisdom: “The trick is to identify the DNA in a person, where he or she wants to do something different and wants to be differently incentivized.” Now that’s the entrepreneurial grit we came here for!

And yet, for all the book’s pep, you might feel a little let down when it comes to real-world, practical resources. After reaching out to one of the entrepreneurs featured in the book with hopes for some advice or startup tips, my email sat as unanswered as a Bollywood cliffhanger—no reply, over a month and counting!

So, if you’re looking for a Bollywood-style book full of inspiring, if sometimes glossy, tales of India’s entrepreneurial spirit, then dive in! Just don’t expect all the lights and cameras to translate into real-life action.

Dork: The Rise and Fall (and Rise?) of Robin Einstein Varghese - A Review

What They Actually Teach You in a Consulting Firm could’ve been a more fitting title for Dork, because author Sidin Vadukut takes readers on a laugh-out-loud journey through the chaotic life of freshly-graduated-from-an-Ivy-league-business-school Malayali hero, Robin Varghese. This "consultant in the making" takes his first shaky steps into the world of management consulting, and boy, does he stumble. Vadukut’s sharp wit cuts through every page, making the book an absolute hoot from cover to cover.

At its core, Dork is kind of like a desi take on What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School - only with a hefty serving of absurdity, a dash of slapstick, and a whole lot of ridiculous plot twists. Just think: take the basic consulting principles, add one hilariously clueless protagonist, stir in some laughably outrageous mishaps, and voila! You get Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin Einstein Varghese.

So, what exactly does our hero, Robin, learn in "Consulting Land"? Quite a bit, actually…mostly about the absurdity of the industry itself:

1. First up, presentations: Turns out "high-end consulting" means recycling internet slides with a few fancy tweaks.
2. Next, jargon: At consulting firms, layering your speech with impenetrable corporate-speak is practically an art form. If your sentences don’t sound like an AI-generated business generator, are you even consulting?
3. Ethics? Overrated. After all, fleecing clients with a straight face is practically in the job description.
4. Real solutions? Meh. Robin learns quickly that many consultants create more problems than they actually solve.

Robin’s journey through consulting’s "black box" rings uncomfortably true for anyone familiar with the industry, even as it’s wildly entertaining. Along the way, our hero tumbles through bouts of hilariously inebriated escapades, stumbles through projects he doesn’t remotely understand, and slowly grasps that half his firm’s partners know absolutely nothing. The rest? Mostly just expert backstabbers.

Yet, just as Robin’s about to lose it all, he somehow pulls off an improbable transformation: one day, he's a barely competent newbie; the next, he's an unexpected hero and even a media darling. How does this happen? Well, let’s just say it involves plenty of blunders, a good bit of luck, and some solid "fake it till you make it" philosophy.

Dork is much more than an office comedy - it’s a peek into the mind of a cubicle-bound consultant as he navigates (or stumbles through) the absurd culture, petty politics, and sometimes nonsensical practices that come with the job. Vadukut’s debut is a hilarious, insightful, and downright entertaining start to the Dork trilogy, making it a must-read for anyone who's ever felt out of place in a corporate jungle.

Einstein Unplugged: A Humanist’s Mind in a Scientist’s Garb

Einstein would have made a terrific blogger. Beyond being the most decorated scientist of his era, he was a warm-hearted humanist whose curiosity spilled far outside the laboratory. In his letters and essays he roams freely over first impressions of America, War & Peace, Socialism, Religion, Philosophy - practically everything. Close the covers of this book and you can’t help feeling you’ve just spent time with a first-rate philosopher disguised as a physicist.

The editors work hard to gather his scattered observations, opinions, thoughts and insights, yet I occasionally wondered if a nuance or two vanished in translation from German to English. Still, the narrative has its own dramatic arc: what starts as a fairly quiet journey suddenly erupts into Einstein’s “miracle year.” (If you’re curious, I’ve linked an infographic of his career here

For the most part the world’s best-known scientist never disappoints - until he dives head-first into the math. Even his famously “layman-friendly” prose can make you sweat if differential equations aren’t your thing.

Below are some passages that leapt off the page for me:

On God
“I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes His creatures or has a will of the kind that we experience in ourselves …”


On Life
“I am satisfied with the mystery of the eternity of life and with the awareness and glimpse of the marvelous structure of the existing world, together with the devoted striving to comprehend a portion—be it ever so tiny - of the Reason that manifests itself in nature.”

On Leaders
“In the case of political, and even religious, leaders it is often very doubtful whether they have done more good or harm …”


On the Individual & Society
“When we survey our lives and endeavors, we soon observe that almost the whole of our actions and desires is bound up with the existence of other human beings. We eat food others have produced, wear clothes others have made, live in houses others have built. The greater part of our knowledge and beliefs has been communicated to us by other people through the medium of language they created. The individual is what he is - not so much by virtue of his individuality as by being a member of the great human community.”

I’ve also dropped a short looping slide deck into the post for anyone who enjoys bite-sized wisdom. Dive in, ponder, and let me know which quote resonates most with you.

The Winning Way: A Cricket-Centric Guide to Business Management (and Beyond?)

The Winning Way by Harsha and Anita Bhogle is an enjoyable read, filled with easygoing prose, anecdotes, and - of course - a treasure trove of cricket trivia. Ever wondered why legends like Kapil Dev and Jayasurya stuck around past their glory days, or about that infamous incident where Imran Khan stormed onto the field to cut short a teammate’s selfish innings? These nuggets make the book as entertaining as it is informative.

This book dances between cricket and management principles, pulling out similarities in areas like planning, team building, target setting, and work ethics. Harsha and Anita manage to keep it light, stripping away the usual jargon that comes with management theory. The book is approachable even for readers whose primary exposure to management involves convincing friends to order pizza instead of salad.

True to the Bhogles’ shared passion, the book leans heavily on cricket, but it does add a pinch of other sports, like a chef garnishing a favorite dish. Indian hockey fans, for instance, will find the authors’ take on the fall of their beloved sport intriguing, as they dissect the decline of what was once the pride of India. It’s an insightful attempt to explain how lack of vision and structural issues took Indian hockey from global dominance in the 1950s to also-ran status by the turn of the millennium.

But here’s the catch. If you’re hoping for a deep dive into broader Indian sports, you might feel a bit bowled out. While the book offers a unique view of cricket and business, it shies away from addressing similar challenges in Indian football, or from analyzing why Indian Olympians haven’t found the same success as some international peers. And just think of the potential for a book like this to dive into China’s meteoric rise in global sports! A comparison of Indian sports management with that of other nations could have added a whole new layer to this book, exploring what really makes a winning culture.

So, while Harsha and Anita Bhogle skillfully connect cricket and business, they’ve ultimately stayed in their comfort zone, catering to a cricket-loving crowd. As a fun and breezy read for sports fans and business enthusiasts alike, The Winning Way scores plenty of runs. Just don’t expect it to change the game on sports management insights beyond cricket.

Bengaluru, Bangalore, Bengaluru: Imaginations and Their Times

The word Bangalore or Bengaluru evokes different feelings and opinions among different people. While many have lived here and experienced the city first hand but many more by the perception & reputation it has built over the years . I for one belong to the former category and have personally witnessed the massive makeover of the city between 1994 and now. So in that sense a book on the city and its history evinced my interest and I picked it recently.

The 16th century history provides the early backdrop of the city and its founder Kempegowda emerges from the political fog of the Krishnadevaraya’s rule of the period. The early parts of the city, Pete’s (markets) divided on the basis of caste and later the emergence of the British cantonment that heralded the earliest recorded migrations to the city makes for interesting reading. How the early migrations induced language and not class conflicts particularly evokes interest.

Tracing the roots of a city and its various facets spanning a 500 year period is no doubt arduous and this book will disappoint those seeking scholarly depth. However many interesting & informative nuggets on the various aspects of the city can be found here and the book covers in a manner that juggles between documentary, academia, and coffee table reading .

(Other trivia about Bangalore not related to the book)

How did Bengaluru get its name? 

The most famous legend says that Hoysala King Veera Ballala II, on one of his hunting expeditions, stumbled upon an old dwelling where lived an old woman. She served him some boiled beans. Overwhelmed he named the place Benda-kaaluru (the town of boiled beans), which later became Bengaluru when Kempe Gowda-I laid the first stone of the modem city in 1537, starting with the petes, now at the heart of the city. However, facts don't corroborate this story. The Hoysalas ruled between the 10th and the 14th centuries. Kernpegowda lived in the 16th century. But, the very first instance of the name appears in a stone inscription at Begur Nageshwara Temple in South Bengaluru. The stone dates back to 890 AD, the Ganga period. This implies that Bengaluru is at least 1,129 years old. The slab is also proof that a village by such name existed much before the Hoysalas and the Kempegowdas. P V Krishnamurthy, an epigraphist and historian. Says "Kempegowda I is rightly credited for building the infrastructure for Bengaluru and paving the way for today's vibrant cosmopolitan trade town. However, Kern pegowda could not be the founder,"

10 Interesting facts about Bangalore

1. It has the impeccable record of highest growth within a span of 20 years. 

2. Bangalore city has highest number of pubs in Asia. 

3. It has highest number of cigarette smokers in India 

4. Bengaluru  has the highest number of software companies in India - 212, followed by  Hyderabad -108, Pune - 97. Hence called the silicon valley of India. 

5. It has 21 engineering colleges, which is highest in the world in a given city. Bangalore University has 57 engineering colleges affiliated to it, which is highest in the world.

 6. It is the only city in the world to have commercial and defense airport operating from the same strip. 

7. Bangalore has highest number of public sectors and  government organizations in India. 

8. Bangalore University has highest number of students going abroad for higher studies taking the first place from IIT-Kanpur. 

9. The mega city has only 48% of local population (i.e.#Kannadigas). Hence a true cosmopolitan with around 25%  Tamilians, 14%  Telugites, 10% #Keralites, 8%  Europeans, 6% a mixture of all races. 

10. Bangalore  police has the reputation of being second best in India after Delhi. Once a rowdy hub (back in the 1980s) the Bangalore City Police (BCP) have done a remarkable job in cleaning notorious elements like Kotwal Ramachandra, Jairaj, Oil Kumar, Dandupalya Gang among others

20 mind blowing facts about Bangalore a.k.a Bengaluru that you should know

ಕೆಂಪೇಗೌಡ ಕಟ್ಟಿದ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು the Bengaluru that was built by Kempe Gowda.


1. When Kempegowda presented blue print for constructing Bengaluru city to the Vijayanagara King, impressed with the vision & planning, the king not only approved it, but also gave 50000 gold coins(varahas), & six nearby areas of Bengaluru to be included under the new city.


2. Kempegowda had studied 8 years in a Gurukula, in Hesaraghatta before taking the reigns of Yelahanka ruled by his ancestors for decades. Vijayanagar Kings advised Kempegowda to ensure the new city of Bengaluru will be a commercial & dharmic Centre & self sufficient in water requirement.


3. Bhoomi Puja of Bengaluru was done in an area between Domluru & Yelahanka. Havana & Yagna was Conducted by the Gurukula teachers where Kempegowda had studied. Massive Smoke and Vedaghosha had filled the air due to Vedic rituals.


4. East-West line became Chikkapete(retail market), North-South line became Doddapete (wholesale market-current avenue road). Akki,Ragi,Arale & taragu petes for grocery market, ganigara pete for oil, uppara pete for salt, kumbara pete for pottery, Tigalara pete for flower business, Nagarth pete for gold/silver biz, Bale pete for bangles and chain came up.


5. Dharmambudhi lake (bus stand), Kempambudhi lake, Halsuru lake & Yediyuru lake were constructed for mobilizing water for drinking & washing.


6. For Irrigation requirement Kempegowda constructed Sampangi lake (Current indoor stadium).


7. Having studied in Gurukula & being a totally dharmic king, Kempegowda constructed Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple, Basavanagudi’s Big bull -Nandi temple, Doddapete’s Anjaneya temple.


8. Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple, in Gavipura, continues to amaze people with the extraordinary knowledge of astronomy and temple architecture it synthesises to ensure Sun rays fall on the murthy of Lord Shiva on Makarasankranti every year.


9. For protection Kempegowda constructed forts all round Bengaluru. Mahadwaras(main entrances) for these forts were constructed at Yelahanka, Halasuru, Kengeri, & Anekal.


10. Important aspect of Bengaluru, was the design, implementation & interlinking of Raja Kaluves (king canals which exist even today). When a lake was filled with rain water, extra water was fed into other lakes through these King canals, and finally to outside the city.


11. By the quirk of fate, Kempegowda who founded Bengaluru, was arrested and imprisoned at anegondi on charges of treason. The complaints to the Vijayanagar king was given by Channapttana local chieftain. At this time Vijayanagara Kingdom was getting weakened with rebellion.


12. To protect Bengaluru from evil enemies, Kempegowda’s sons constructed watch towers at Lalbagh, Halsuru, Sadashivanagara, and Chamarajapete. It is believed Dharmaraya temples lies at equidistant from these watch towers.


13. Every evening from atop an elevated boulder, bugle sound (KahaLe) was blown to indicate all is well in the city. If the the bugle sound was heard at other times, it indicated threat to the city. This place is today’s Bugle rock in Basavanagudi.


14. King Aliya Ramaraya released Kempegowda from the prison after five years, realising Kempegowda was innocent. Kempegowda returned to Bengaluru on a triumphant note with people giving him a a rousing welcome reception. His popularity had in fact increased after his arrest.


15. Kempegowda was made to sit on a silver swing(vuyyale) & milk abhisheka was performed on him as part of his welcome. The place where this welcome was given to Kempegowda, was called VuyyaLe Kavalu, which in due course has become Vyali Kaval.


16. Kempegowda who was an outstanding visionary, planner, dharmic leader, and a people’s leader whom every Bengalurian must thank, accidentally died in 1569, near Magadi while returning from Kunigal

17. Two of Bengaluru’s famous localities -Basavanagudi and Malleshwaram -were first established as ‘safe, hygienic suburbs’ when the city was affected by the deadly plague in 1898

18. Whitefield was developed as a self-sufficient farming community for Anglo-Indians way back in the year 1880. Today its a bustling IT corridor but in yesteryears had elegant spanish style villa communities. Winston Churchill, the erstwhile Prime Minister of UK, was a regular Visitor at the Waverly Inn in whitefield Bangalore

19. The name 'Bengaluru' was first mentioned in 9th century inscription in a temple in Begur, a small town off the Bangalore-Hosur highway. This was way before the city was discovered by Kempegowda in 1537 AD

20. Bangalore has prehistoric dolmens (miniature stone houses) installed in burial sites to commemorate the dead in areas like Bannerghatta, Devanahalli, and even Lalbagh.

Images of Bangalore

Maverick: Samba of the Semco Workplace - A Book Review

When we think "Brazil," most of us picture samba, vibrant carnivals, and yellow-clad football legends dancing with the ball. So a book on Semco - a little-known company with an unconventional work culture - feels like the odd man out in Brazil’s colorful parade. But Ricardo Semler’s Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace is here to shake up more than just our perceptions of Brazil; it redefines the workplace itself.

Imagine a company where employees write their own rulebook, no reception desk greets you, and workers decide when, where, and how much they work - all on their terms. Sounds wild? That’s Semco for you. And in Maverick, Semler, the bold chief behind the revolution, gives us a backstage tour of this unique “anything goes” corporate culture.

“A company where traditional corporate dogma was being discarded and unpredictability was a way of life,” Semler writes in Chapter 13, and that one line captures the spirit of Semco. The story begins with Semler taking over his father’s company - a rather lifeless, demotivated place - and his mission to breathe life into it. His remedy? Dump all the corporate nonsense. No more rigid hierarchies or tedious policies. Instead, Semler installs a culture where the business runs on simplicity, common sense, and a philosophy that could almost be mistaken for socialism - Eastern European style, or as he calls it, “Nonsenseskaya.”

Semler’s narrative is a refreshing take on business, proving you don’t need a deskful of management theories from Peters, Porters, or Kanters to run a successful company. Just a willingness to throw out the rulebook and trust people to run things their way.

If you’re curious about the nuts and bolts of managing a business - or about how radically a workplace can operate - Maverick is a breezy, mind-bending read that’s as colorful and unpredictable as the samba itself.

A case of exploding mangoes

The scene is set among the final days of General Zia and his set of cronies protecting him from what they believe are a bunch of his own aging military generals waiting in the wings out to get him. He comes across vividly as a guy in some sort of dementia (what the author describes as a man self marinating in paranoia). Gen Zia believes he has become a prisoner in own Army house, a 5 mile security cover surrounding him is not enough, there is a fear that someone might be digging a tunnel underground to reach him! And even the itching in his back, which the doctor ascribes to intestinal worms tunneling out reminds him of his forlorn fate. Zia’s portrait as a shrewd but bumbling character is captured vividly and makes for interesting read but that appears only in alternate chapters, in the rest the author meanders listlessly among other unrelated topics (Blind Zainab, Underground cell in Lahore fort, American jaunts in Pak etc).

Characters like General Akthar, Chief of staff Beg, Major Kiyani ( i thought it was the current chief of Army but this guy goes down with the plane), Brigadier TM all appear to be some characters straight out of a typical Pakistan bashing Hindi movie that we are familiar with (the ones Ajay Devgan or Sunny Deol have wrestled with). There is no dearth of similar perception of India/Indians there....Land of Lentil eaters where Gandhi is described as banya while Nehru is a Fornicator, even Lata & Asha are not spared (fat ugly Indian sisters who sing like sex kitten); its all quid-pro-quo feeling across the border reflecting in the book.

Zia-ul-haq is the central theme of the book & he doesn’t disappoint, sample this ..
Without his uniform & presidential paraphernalia General Zia seemed to have shrunk. His moustache always waxed & twirled, drooped over his upper lip . His hair always oiled & parred down the middle was in a state of disarray, like a paraded squad on tea break.

General Zia’s eyes normally crossed, the right one looking in one direction while the left one wandered away to take in something else were for once focused in the same direction on the same objects (the chest of foreign correspondent Joanne herring). The angle of his stare was so obvious that if she drew two lines with a pencil, they would connect the iris of his eye straight to the two white spheres pushed up & pulled together.

He had almost made up his mind to reverse the crescent on the national flag after an Islamic scholar pointed out that it was a descending moon and not an ascending one, but then his advisers reminded him that the flag had been around for 40 years & since nobody actually had any problem with the direction of the crescent, it was better to leave the flag alone.

Mohammed Hanif’s novel exposes the bigotry & intrigue within Pak’s most powerful establishment with his heavily influenced westernized English language .

Freakonomics: Economics for the Rest of Us - A Book Review

Economics can feel like a rollercoaster of extremes. On one side, you’ve got a mountain of theories from greats like Keynes and Smith, unraveling the mysteries of market forces at macro and micro levels. On the other, you’re neck-deep in mind-bending math and stats, where economics drowns in complex equations and endless data. Enter Levitt and Dubner with Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, a book that fearlessly meets economics in the middle, stripping it down to its relatable core and making it understandable—even enjoyable—for the average reader.

Through an engaging blend of case studies and wit, Levitt and Dubner argue that economics, at its heart, is just a system of incentives and disincentives. And with this simple concept, they manage to connect the most unexpected dots. For instance, they highlight the curious similarities between schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers—both, as it turns out, have been known to bend the rules of the game to benefit themselves. And did you know drug cartels operate like McDonald's? Yep, Freakonomics compares their organizational structure to that of any savvy corporate entity, and it makes for fascinating reading.

The book even dives into controversial waters, like the assertion that legalized abortion significantly reduced crime rates in America—a claim that challenges popular beliefs. Levitt and Dubner also reveal how the Internet has thrown a wrench into "Information Asymmetry," leveling the playing field between experts (think doctors, lawyers, real estate agents) and everyone else. “Information is the currency of the Internet,” they write, illustrating how it efficiently shifts knowledge from those who have it to those who don’t—bad news for experts hoping to guard their secrets.

In short, Freakonomics is an incredible collection of insights from a self-described “economist who, instead of grand macro thoughts, prefers offbeat micro curiosities.” It’s economics for the curious, the skeptical, and the rest of us who just want to know how the world really works.

Chetan Bhagat's 5 Point ...& One Night....

My credit card cup was overflowing with points & I had to act fast n encash before the yearly redemption term got lapsed. So among other things I added to my shopping cart this book from Chetan Bhagat - ‘One night at the call centre’. I read his first book ‘5 point someone’ sometime last year and found pretty readable for its archetypal Indian humour of the college variety. It also had the backdrop of IIT campus which added it a touch of cerebral munificence and made up for a silly plot ( found it pretty ‘duh’ by IIT’ian standards -the plot revolves around 4-5 IIT guys who are a bunch of outcasts due to their poor scores. And they come up with an idea to hood wink the system -wonder whether somebody could have the audacity and get away with that in a cerebral system like IIT? ) . Anyway the characters & their interplay made it eminently readable though some characters like that of ‘Venkat’ sounded pretty cliched.

This book (One night at the call centre ) begins well but meanders midway through pretty listless past love sequences of its main characters. As someone who has seen the rough & tumble of a BPO shop floor, I expected a great deal of creative yarn & spin on the machinations of the Industry. Yet found nothing of it, there is this simple western appliances strategic desk which is kinda troubleshooting desk for Home appliances users in US, where a group of Yuppie youngsters deal with dumb oversized US customers(the author bolsters the point with the 35-10 equation meaning a 35 year old American has the same IQ that of a 10 year old Indian. Who discovered that, eh? ) . With a bit of ‘divine' help , they not only get out of their rut but also endeavor to put their lives in order. In the process they muster enough courage to kickass-their-jackass Boss & also help their company keep hundreds of jobs with some imaginative yet fancy plot. All in one night, Bingo!

If you are expecting a cerebral thriller of a “Corporate variety” like Michael Crichton’s Disclosure , Rising sun or Joseph finder’s Power play you will be pretty disappointed.In both the books Chetan Bhagat’s protagonists are the yuppie generation , in 5 point someone they get choked in a rigid and rather old fashioned education system while in One Night... they deal with a disgruntled workplace and messed up personal lives.

Go Kiss the World

My traveling schedule went into disarray recently, thanks to the inclement weather in the North & as my Flight to Delhi got delayed by a couple of Hours, I headed straight to Crossword in the Mumbai Airport. I have great admiration for Mr.Bagchi & have been following his articles in Magazines and Newspapers quite regularly (Businessworld column - Arbor Mentis - and Times of India column - Times of Mind), so when I saw his book “ Go Kiss the World” in the bestseller category I picked it up immediately.

Subrato Baghchi can be a magician with words, he builds a tapestry of images that provides a rich background to his early life. As someone with similar experiences, my mother was a Govt Doctor & she used to get posted in the Deccan hinterland where I used to spend my vacations & absorb the life away from cities, I could immediately relate to his early life which he describes in verdant & colorful details surrounding those small towns & villages in Orissa where his father, a Govt Employee was posted. Throughout the book he describes situations & instances that are not only captivating but some profound truths on life emerge from his uniquely narrative style.

In the early part of the book he sketches out his childhood days & the growing up years where he explains how he tries cope up with the apparent contradictions & challenges of setting up a career path and choosing what to do in life. He then goes on to describe the trials & tribulations he faced early on in his working career. The Office politics & challenges he describes can be very common and everyone can relate to. His experiences at Wipro, a failed venture in Project 21, a wrong career move with Lucent before he finally hit upon Mindtree makes for interesting reading. It has been one roller coaster ride for Bagchi but throughout all these experiences he has imbibed & drawn a lot of great value laced lessons. By explaining situational issues he also touches upon Management skills that a good manager brings to fore. This makes the book the handy for any budding manager or anyone interested in good biographies.Throughout his narration are small nuggets of wisdom drawn by earthly experiences and relevant to the topic under consideration. Eminently readable & releatable.